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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26718976">The Special House</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgles123/pseuds/Higgles123'>Higgles123</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Legend (2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Friendship, Romance, mental health</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:00:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26718976</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgles123/pseuds/Higgles123</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ronnie Kray is in the 'special house' where he meets another patient called Rose. Her life isn't exactly simple and somehow this woman manages to bring out the soft side of this hardened gangster</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ronald "Ronnie" Kray/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">Ronnie hated this place. Full of fucking nutters it was. He didn’t need to be here and he was just waiting for the day Reggie got him out of this filthy, scummy place. He had a short temper, that much was true, but he didn’t need pills and he didn’t need to listen to the shrink in the tweed jacket and the handlebar moustache when he harped on about Ronnie as though he knew him. Taking a puff of his cigar, one of the many luxuries his brother made sure to bring him on a weekly basis, his scowling eyes wandered the room lazily until they fell on her. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
She had arrived a few days ago and already she wore a look of complete and utter dejection; of hopelessness and self pity. Her arms were wound around her waist and the way she kept her head down made strands of her chestnut hair fall across her face. A few of the more sane patients had tried to talk to her over the past few days, but they had received little more than one word answers in response. It was clear to Ronnie that she had no wish to be in the recreation room, but just like the rest of them, she had no choice. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
One of the nurses came round with the medicine cart and he watched the girl down her tablets and open her mouth to show that they were gone. As expected, the second the nurse turned around with a self satisfied smile, the girl glanced around nervously before spitting them out into her hand and sliding them in her cardigan pocket. Ronnie was up on his feet before he even realised it. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“That’s a very, very bad idea,” he murmured, sitting down on the old threadbare sofa beside her. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
She turned to look at him warily, and up close he noticed that her eyes were neither green nor blue; instead they were more of a mix with a bit of hazel thrown in too. Despite how they shone, there was a lacklustre tinge to them and for some reason it made him sad. Ronnie Kray didn’t feel sad for anyone but there something about her that made him immediately want to look after her. She reminded him of a small animal fighting to survive whether it even realised it or not.  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“If they cotton on that you ain’t been takin’ your pills, your pocket’ll be the first place they check,” he spoke quietly, leaning his head slightly towards her as his hand dug into her pocket and took the small white pills out. Glancing around to check they weren’t being watched, he casually dropped the tablets onto the dirty carpet and crushed them beneath his polished black shoes. “Crush them into the carpet like dust and they won’t ever be found.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
The girl said nothing, but her face was so close that he could see the light dusting of freckles on her nose and cheeks, and his fingers twitched as he resisted the urge to play dot to dot with them. Her skin was like porcelain and it looked soft to touch. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“I’m Ronnie,” he muttered suddenly. “Ronnie Kray.” </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
He tried to read her face; watched and waited for any hint of recognition or fear, but there was nothing. He</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">sighed and was about to stand when she finally answered him. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“I know,” she spoke softly, her eyes looking into his without the usual trepidation of others. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“So she talks then?” Ronnie couldn’t help but grin. Well, it looked a grimace in all honesty; as though the expression seemed uncomfortable for him. “You got a name then?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“Rose,” she smiled, just a small movement of her full lips but one that immediately brought life back to her face. “Rose Squires.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“Hm,” he grunted. “Well Rose Squires, what you in here for then? Cos you don’t look all that crazy to me?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“It’s a long story,” she sighed. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
“Well we’ve got all day, ain’t we?” </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1"><br/>
.......................................................................................................................................</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">Rose lay in bed- well, if a wobbly metal cot with a thin mattress and holey blanket could be construed as a bed- and shivered in the cold dark cell she had called home for the past few weeks. There was a leak in the corner of the room and the incessant <em>drip drip</em> was enough to send her mad. Ironic really that they had admitted her to this place on account of her apparently being insane, yet if she ever left here she most definitely <em>would</em> be insane. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she curled herself into a ball, pulling the thin blanket up over herself. It was too short though and her feet stuck out at the end. As a child she would have been terrified that some evil monster would come and drag her to hell by her feet if she wasn’t completely encompassed by her duvet, but she realised that she would welcome it now because surely hell was better than this place. From the cell across the hallway, there came an awful wailing that made her hair stand up on end. These people, most of them anyway, really were mentally insane and they were terrifying, which was why she kept to herself in the recreation room. But today things had changed and although Ronnie Kray had been nice, and even helped her, she wasn’t sure what to make of him. Growing up in the East End of London, she knew the rumours; they were what people in the east end lived for. The Kray twins were notorious, and everyone knew that Ronnie was the one to be feared out of the two brothers. Not only did he have a sexual appetite for boys, and rather violent one at that, he was also wildly out of control; a loose cannon who heard voices and couldn’t be restrained, not even by the person who had grown in their mother’s womb with him. There was something about the man though that had managed to make her feel safe for the first time since she had arrived here.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“You really are losing it,” she whispered to herself with a short laugh. “There’s nothing safe about a man like Ronnie Kray.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">But even as she said those very words to herself, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was wrong.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“Well, if you don’t wanna go to first then I will, yeah?” Ronnie peered into her face with those shrewd eyes of his. “I’m in here right on account of bein’ mental. Paranoid schizophrenic I am. You know what that is? No? Probably for the best, to be honest. So what’s your deal then?”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>Rose blinked. He was so casual in the way he spoke about his mental infirmity that it seemed almost strange to her.He watched her expectantly through slightly narrowed eyes as though he was waiting to see what she would do. Rose blinked again, unable to look away from his captivating gaze and she wondered for a moment if perhaps the orderlies had slipped something into her breakfast because this didn’t feel quite real. She was literally sat having a rather amiable conversation with none other than Ronald fucking Kray about their mental illnesses.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“I get sad,” she muttered finally.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“Sad?” Ronnie frowned. “They locked you in here cos you get sad?”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>She nodded and sighed, closing her eyes and tipping her head back against the head rest. Ronnie eyed the milky expanse of skin and he noticed the faint browny green marks on her neck. They were finger prints he realised and he reached out to touch them before he could help himself. Rose opened her eyes in alarm but Ronnie didn’t drop his hand.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“You didn’t do this to yourself,” he commented quietly. “So who did?”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“Doesn’t matter,” she looked down.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“Matters to me,” he murmured.</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“Why?” her eyes flickered up towards his and the pain in her eyes almost hurt him physically. “You don’t even know me.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">
    <em>“No,” he conceded with a tilt of his head. “But I make it my business to know everything about everyone… one way or another.”</em>
  </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">Melancholia. Depression. It was more than just sadness; it was an overwhelming tiredness of one’s body and soul; a desire to die yet carry on clutching on to the tiny moments of happiness that came fleetingly into their lives. At least that was how Ronnie had heard people describe it anyway. What eluded him though was the fact that Rose had been locked up in here for depression. Maybe ten or twenty years ago that would have been normal, but nowadays it only happened in extreme circumstances.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">Ronnie had done some research. Just because he was on the inside, he was still able to get the information he needed about people with a little bribery. Even medical staff were happy to turn a blind eye and leave personal files out when a bit of money passed through their hands. He read over Rose’s file numerous times but there was just one thing that didn’t add up. She had been admitted to the hospital due to an attempt at suicide… by hanging. But if Ronnie had recognised those bruises for what they were, there was no way a medical professional wouldn’t have. Hmm, it was most puzzling indeed. He had a fair few questions for Miss Squires.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">She was already in the dining room when he walked in, shuffling along in his slippers because he hadn’t felt like taking them off this morning. He didn’t take his eyes off of her; not when he was in the line getting his breakfast and not when he was manoeuvring the tables to reach hers. He pulled the chair out opposite her and Rose looked up when it scraped across the floor.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Morning,” he grunted, sitting down with a thud. “Sleep well?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“I suppose,” Rose shrugged. “It was a little noisy last night.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Yeah well it was a full moon, weren’t it,” he sniffed. Picking up his knife and fork, he glanced over at Rose’s plate and frowned. “What the fuck is that?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Er, porridge,” Rose answered, although the way she said it was as though she wasn’t quite sure herself.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Why you eatin’ that shit?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“That’s what I eat every morning,” she explained, wondering why he was taking such an interest in her meal.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Why?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Well that’s all there is,” she answered, casting a longing glance at his breakfast plate. “Well, I thought so anyway.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Right well that aint all there is now,” Ron stood up gruffly. “Wait there.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">Rose furrowed her brow and watched as Ronnie sauntered across to the serving hatch, pushing his way in without a care for the protestations of the other patients, and demanded another breakfast immediately. The kitchen staff hurriedly complied and when he returned, he set down a plate of sausage and eggs down in front of Rose and she swore it actually made her almost dribble.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“You gonna eat it or just stare at it?” Ronnie gave her a pointed look and immediately she picked up the knife and fork he had brought over for her.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">The knife was blunt as anything of course, so she had a bit of a hard time cutting through the crispy skin of the sausage and in the end she stabbed her fork into it impatiently and bit the end of the sausage off. She closed her eyes and groaned, absolutely certain she had never tasted anything so delicious in her entire life.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Right well don’t be mouth fucking that sausage otherwise some of these blokes’ll start getting the wrong idea,” Ronnie said curtly.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">Rose choked on the food in her mouth and eyed him in shock. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been on the receiving end of such course language before, but she hadn’t from someone she didn’t know. Ronnie blinked and then dipped a piece of his toast into the runny yolk of his egg, scowling at the yellow goo as though it had done something to personally offend him. Of course that just seemed to be his natural facial expression, and Rose understood why Ronnie Kray had such a fearsome reputation. What she didn’t understand was why on earth he was being bothering with someone like her; and being so kind about it too. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Could you stop staring at me like that, please?” Ronnie looked up and met her eyes. “I’m trying to eat and I don’t appreciate being gawped at like an animal in a zoo.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Sorry,” Rose apologised, looking back at her own plate. But the second Ronnie went back to eating, Rose’s eyes flicked up again to look at him. He was puzzling indeed.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“You’re still looking at me.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Sorry,” she grinned.</span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">“Hmm,” Ronnie grunted, but she noticed the way his face softened ever so slightly. </span>
</p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p2"> </p><p class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0p1">
  <span class="yiv4774429891ydpfce9c1c0s1">They ate the remainder of their breakfast in silence; not the awkward sort yet not quite companionable either. Ronnie was biding his time until he began to quiz Rose on the things her admission file hadn’t been able to answer. However, for as many questions as he had for Rose, internally she was compiling some of her own for him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">Bouts of sadness had swallowed Rose for as long as she could remember. Even as a child she recalled wanting to sit in her room and just wallow, wanting to cry yet not being able to, while the happy playing noises of the other children came from the street below. Her sister, Olivia, was only two years older physically yet since their father had left when the girls were both young and their mother worked all the hours she could, the responsibility of caring for Rose had fallen upon her sister. Olivia was firm when she needed and loving when it required, and Rose relied upon her sister in all aspects of life. But when these sometimes short and other times long periods of melancholy came over her, not even Olivia could help pull Rose out of them. The best she could do was give her a hug and get her the good chocolate biscuits that they only saved for special occasions, and keep their mother under the illusion that Rose was merely physically unwell so as not to add to the woman’s own worries.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">It worked for the most part and when Rose would cry herself to sleep for no reason at all, Olivia would stroke her hair and tell her the fairy stories she so adored. As the girls became teenagers, Olivia was the one to clean the cuts that Rose gave herself to try and feel something that wasn’t numbness. Olivia would sit up with Rose all night and remind her of just how much she was needed in the world. And when their mother had died from a heart attack just two years ago, Olivia had ignored how tired she was from work to check on Rose during lunches and to sit up with her still at night.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">But then Olivia met Giles and everything changed.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Morning Rosie Posie.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">Rose didn’t smile like she usually did when Ronnie appeared and called her by the nickname he had taken upon himself to use. Over the past week and a bit, he had become a presence she began to look forward to spending her days with. He would join her at breakfast and they would spend the entire day together wherever possible. But today she wanted to be left alone; to not talk and to just wallow in her own misery. Rose was sad. Even sadder than usual and this time when the nurse gave Rose her medication, she took it all without spitting it out when her back was turned. In fact, she had to resist the urge to beg for more; to beg for all the medicine in the building so that she could take it all and never have to face the world again. Only she didn’t really mean that because she wanted to be alive; she just didn’t want to feel this way.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“What’s the matter with you today then?” Ronnie frowned. “Got a face like a smacked arse you have.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Fuck off, Ron,” she spat, folding her arms across her chest and looking away from him. She didn’t even have the energy nor inclination to get up from her seat and storm off.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Excuse me for speaking,” he muttered, reaching for a small side table and pulling a piece of paper and pencil out of his pocket.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">With exaggerated motions he began to write, making sure he scribbled loudly on the paper and tapped his fingers on the table. Every so often he would glance out of the corner of his eyes to see Rose with her back still to him but he could tell she was getting annoyed by the little aggravated sigh she would let out every few seconds. <em>Scratch. Scratch. Tap. Tap. Scratch.</em></span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p3"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Will you fucking stop that?” she snapped eventually.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Stop what?” Ron feigned innocence, turning to look at her with a slow blink.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“That noise,” Rose huffed. “It’s driving me mad.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Well we are in the nut house,” Ronnie muttered.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">Rose eyed him narrowly for a moment, trying her best to remain annoyed but the tiny flicker of amusement in eyes ended up making her break her own facade.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Now would you look at that,” he pointed at her. “You smiled and your face didn’t crack. Miracle that is.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“I hate you, Ron Kray.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Nah you don’t,” Ronnie eyeballed her. “Cos without me you’d still be eating porridge for breakfast and sitting on your own all day watching these nutters do whatever it is they do to pass the time.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“You’re right, I don’t,” she smiled weakly, leaning slightly so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “And I’m sorry for being horrible to you.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">Ronnie stiffened ever so slightly, unable to stop the subconscious reaction that came of physical affection from another human but then his shoulders relaxed once more. He wasn’t exactly sure when Rose had taken to touching him physically but he wasn’t averse to it. Alright. That was most definitely a lie because he remembered it as clear as anything. They had been watching a film on Saturday in the recreation room and she had pulled her chair as close to his as possible. Halfway through the film she had started to nod off and her head had lolled uncomfortably against her chest. He shook her gently in an attempt to rouse her, and when she frowned and batted his hand away he couldn’t help but smirk. She murmured something, wriggled around in her chair before suddenly resting her head against his shoulder. Ronnie had looked down with surprise and his initial reaction had been to push her away, but then something happened that he hadn’t expected; he had put an arm around her and held her close. Perhaps it was because the smell of her hair reminded him of his mother, or maybe it was just her, but all he knew was that he found a quiet solace inside of his usually busy brain at their close contact.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“You gonna tell me what’s up with you this mornin’ then?” he probed.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Just tired,” she sighed.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“I know, right, that’s code for sad,” Ronnie murmured. “I’ve been in here long enough to know what certain things mean, so why don’t we try this again. What’s up Rosie Posie?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Truthfully? Everything… and nothing,” Rose looked up at him with such sorrow that he felt as though he could reach out and grab it. “I just get like this sometimes. It takes over me and I can’t let it go. Sometimes I’m not even sure I want to let it go because it’s almost comforting. It’s all I’ve ever known and although I don’t want to feel this way, at the same time I feel lost without it.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“I understand that,” Ronnie empathised. “Truly I do, but there’s more to it than that with you. I know it.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">Of course he hadn’t told Rose he read through her files but if he didn’t start getting more from her soon then he was going to tell her. He didn’t even know why he was so concerned about the problems of a girl he barely knew, but somehow in the space of just a few days she had started to mean something to him. The only two people who meant anything to Ronnie were his twin, Reggie and his mother. Not even Teddy <em>meant</em> anything; he was just a fuck and someone to fool around with when he was bored. But Rose; now she was something different. He had an inexplicable urge to protect her and right whatever injustice had caused her to be in this place. On the outside, he had Reggie fighting for him, but who was fighting for Rose?</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Come on.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">Rose frowned when Ronnie stood suddenly and held his hand out to her, but she took it without question and allowed him to lead her out into the garden. They walked their usual route, stopping to look at the pink roses that Ronnie always said reminded him of the flowers his mother tended lovingly in the back garden of her home. This time, he didn’t anything when they paused at the rose bushes, instead he just stopped and looked at them; squinting his eyes every so often as though he was listening to them.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“It’s ironic really that your name is Rose,” he murmured suddenly, reaching out to finger the pink petals almost tenderly. “Cos not only are you fair like one, but you’re delicate too. You see, roses need the right conditions to thrive; food, water, light and most importantly love and care. You don’t say it out loud but your eyes tell me that you need the same. You eat and you drink, but you need to be nurtured; you need someone to see you for who you are and accept you and love you for it. But I don’t think anyone’s done that in a long time. In fact, I think the reason you’re here is because someone is depriving you of what you really need. And if you don’t fight to get out of here and keep your head above water, then you won’t be able to thrive.” Ronnie began to pull petals off of one of the rose buds, letting each one drop to the ground with a deliberate slowness. “You see, Rose, one by one your petals are breaking off and soon you’ll be dead. I know you’re in here cos apparently you tried to hang yourself, but I just don’t buy that. I can see that you’re sad but I can also see that you wanna live. So are you gonna tell me why the fuck you’re really in here or not?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Ronnie, there are so many things I’d like to tell you but I can’t,” Rose said finally as a single tear rolled down her pale cheek.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Can’t or won’t?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“I’m scared, Ron.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Of what?” he frowned.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“What he’ll do if he finds out I’ve told someone, let alone someone like you.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“I promise you right now that I won’t let anyone hurt you, Rose,” Ronnie took her hand and spoke sincerely.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“It’s not me I’m worried about. He can hurt me all he wants; he couldn’t do anything worse than getting me trapped in here anyway. But I don’t want him to hurt her.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“Who?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“My sister. He’ll hurt my sister.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">“I think you and I need a long talk, Rose. You’re gonna tell me everything and we’re gonna sort it this out,” Ronnie said vehemently, his piercing look touching something in Rose that she didn’t understand.</span>
</p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p2"> </p><p class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328p1">
  <span class="yiv9315042863ydpd7fae328s1">All she knew was that suddenly she didn’t feel so afraid anymore.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We finally get to find out Rose's back story!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is a really really tough chapter and there are trigger warnings for mental health, suicide and overdoses. I promise the next chapter will be fluffy but this was necessary for the story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“What’s eating you, Ron?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“I need you to do something for me, Reg. I need you to get rid of someone for me,” Ronnie answered, sliding over a piece of paper with a name and an address.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“And that’s it? You aint gonna tell me anything more than that?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>Ronnie met his twin’s eyes and narrowed his own slightly. A strange sort of feeling washed over him and he realized that he actually felt nervous telling Rose’s story. He trusted Reggie with the sensitive information implicitly, but it just felt almost wrong; as though he was betraying Rose’s trust. <em>No</em>, he reminded himself. He was doing this to make sure he could fix things for her. After what she had told him about that cunt of a brother in law, he was determined to get revenge for Rose even if she hadn’t asked for it.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“I hope you’re ready for this, Reginald,” he said finally. Because he most certainly hadn’t been when he had heard it.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Giles Fortescue. He had a posh name and the manners to go with it. He was a real gentleman and he had truly swept Olivia off of her feet. After all, the young woman who had been raising her sister alone for the past two years was so thrilled by the handsome man paying her attention and caring for her like she had been caring for Rose that she fell head over heels in love. Truthfully, at first, Rose had found Giles to be amiable enough; friendly even. He bought Olivia flowers and took her out to dinner, and he always made time to speak to Rose and act as though he was truly interested in her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose remembered the day Olivia came home, showing off a big fat ring on her finger and announcing that she and Giles would be marrying in just a few short weeks. Rose had of course been happy for her sister but she couldn’t help but wonder selfishly what this meant for her. Obviously Olivia was going to live with her new husband, and Rose knew that she and her sister couldn’t live together forever, but the thought of living alone day after day for the rest of her life terrified her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I’ve spoken to Giles about our living situation,” Olivia said as though reading her sister’s thoughts. “And he’s agreed to let you live with us.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“What?” Rose was astounded.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Well, I told him that I couldn’t leave you by yourself,” took Rose’s hand. “He said he understood and that you were going to be his sister, and he said that meant he would look after both of us.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose couldn’t believe it and tears had sprung from her eyes before she could stop them. It all sounded too good to be true. And it had been.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>It was a few months after the wedding when Giles hit Olivia for the first time. They had been arguing in the kitchen about what to eat for dinner that night, and completely out of the blue there had been a crack as Olivia’s face had turned sharply to the left, a red hand print appearing quickly. Rose had been in the living room but the sound was unmissable and when she walked into the kitchen, Olivia was crying and Giles was at her side apologizing profusely.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry, Livvy,” he murmured, kissing her red cheek. “I’m tired; got a lot on at work you know, and I’m appalled that I let myself take it out on you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>That was how it went every time. Always an excuse; a reason why he hadn’t meant to hurt Liv and then when she started arguing back and rejecting his apologies, he turned on Rose.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“It’s your sister, Livvy,” he would sigh, running hand through his slick backed hair, not bothering to lower his voice so that Rose couldn’t hear. “I just feel like we’re not a proper married couple, you know.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“So what are you saying? You want Rose to leave? Because if she goes, Giles then so do I.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Livvy, she’s nineteen years old. Do you not think it’s about time she stood on her own two feet?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“She’s fragile, Giles,” Olivia would cry. “You’ve seen what she gets like when she’s having one of her episodes; doesn’t eat, doesn’t wash, doesn’t take care of herself. She needs me and I can’t just abandon her.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“And what about me, Liv? What about our marriage? Is your sister more important than us? You know when I hit you it’s only because I’m so frustrated because you care more about your sister than me. You make me feel like I’m second best and it hurts.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry, Giles, you know I am,” Liv would say hurriedly. “You know I love you and you know I want to be with you. But she’s my sister.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I think it’s best if I leave. I will always love you, Olivia and that’s why I know I need to let you go so that you can focus on Rose.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“No Giles,” Olivia would beg. “Just… just give me some time to warm her up to the idea of living on her own, yeah? Please.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“Man sounds like a right bastard,” Reggie agreed with a nod. “But I can’t bump him off just cos he wants to knock his wife about a bit, Ron.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“I aint asking you to do it for that reason. I’m asking you to do it for what he did to Rose.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Giles was wily; cunning like a fox. He loved Olivia in his own way. She was beautiful and she was pliant for the most part. She looked good on his arm, and once she had given him a few kids he knew he would have even more leverage over to make her behave exactly how he wanted. But months were flying by and no matter how often he threatened to leave, Olivia still refused to send her sister away. Until Rose was gone there would always be one obstacle keeping Giles from having Olivia exactly how he wanted her.  </span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose had been fast asleep, her bedroom curtains closed shut to block out the bright afternoon sunlight that was mocking her with its joyfulness. Olivia had gone shopping for a few hours upon Rose’s insistence that she wanted peace and quiet, and she knew that her sister needed to get out for a while. She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her shoulder.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Giles,” she croaked. “What are you doing home? If you’re looking for Liv, she’s gone out.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“It wasn’t Livvy I wanted,” he answered, his gaze dropping briefly to the swell of Rose’s breasts against the pale lavender of her slip. “I think you and I need to have a little chat. I’ll get the kettle on, eh?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose felt nothing but trepidation as she walked down the stairs in her stockinged feet. She could hear the kettle whistling on the hob and Giles humming a song underneath his breath. When she walked in, he turned and smiled as though he was happy to see her but she knew it was a lie. Long gone was the Giles who actually used to care. Now he was a monster; a monster that had her sister wrapped around his finger.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Giles joined her at the table and watched as she drank tentatively at her tea before he spoke.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I see you’re not feeling too good again lately, Rose,” he frowned.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll be ok,” she mumbled, wondering why he was bringing it up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You might be, but your sister won’t,” he sighed, smirking slightly at the concerned furrow of Rose’s brow. “Do you have any idea of the physical and emotional toll looking after you when you’re like this has on Livvy? Do you even care?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Of course I do,” Rose exclaimed. “I love her.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“If you love her, Rose, don’t you want her to be happy? Don’t you want her to have a life and not just be your caretaker?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Yes,” Rose whispered. “Look, if this is about me moving out, I’ll go. I’ve heard you both talking and if you really want me gone, I’ll go. I just want my sister to be happy.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“But that won’t be enough, Rose,” Giles sighed, putting his hand into the pocket of his jacket. “We both know that you could go to the other end of the earth and she’d follow you. Which is why you need to truly let her go; let her be free from you, Rose.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Before her very eyes, Giles pulled three small brown bottles out of his pocket and lined them up in front of her. Rose frowned before realisation hit her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You want me to kill her?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“No,” Giles chuckled darkly. “I want you to kill </span>
  </em>
  <span>yourself<em>.”</em></span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>For a moment, Rose thought he was actually joking. She waited for him to start laughing, but when he did nothing more than reach for the sugar bowl and sweeten his tea she realised he was being deadly serious.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You’re crazy.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Says the girl who hasn’t been taking her anti depressants and has instead been saving them up so she could commit suicide,” Giles answered casually, adding a drop of milk to his cup.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You are fucking insane,” Rose scoffed, standing up. “And I’m going to find my sister and tell her what an evil bastard she’s married to.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose gasped as Giles grabbed her wrist, squeezing so hard that she felt a bone crack.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You tell her and I’ll gut her before your eyes,” his eyes bore into hers with such menace that she couldn’t look at him any longer. He grabbed her by the jaw and forced her to meet his gaze. “It’s your choice, Rose. You do this with the knowledge that your sister will be free to live her life and be happy, or I kill Livvy and make it look like you did it. A nice little thing like you would be easy prey in jail.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You’re evil,” Rose sobbed, tears dripping down her face. She had no choice; she knew that. Not if she wanted her sister to live.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“But I thought that Rose girl was admitted in her on account of trying to hang herself?” Reggie frowned.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“I’m getting to that bit,” Ronnie murmured.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>The tablets were bitter as they slipped down her throat. Mucus and tears poured out of her and her hands trembled under Giles’ intense gaze.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Keep going, Rose,” he smirked. “Couldn’t kill a child with what you’ve taken.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Please,” she sobbed even as she tipped more of the tiny white pills into her hand. “Please don’t make me do this. I’ll go away; I’ll go and Liv won’t ever know where I’ve gone.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“That won’t be good enough, Rose,” Giles shook his head. “Unless you’re dead, she’ll keep on looking for you; you know she will. This is the only way.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Taking her hand, he ignored her cries and forced the pills into her mouth; squeezing her mouth and nose until she had no choice but to swallow.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Suddenly the phone rang; it’s shrill cry making them both stop and look at it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Answer it,” Giles ordered.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Rose?” Olivia’s voice sounded down the phone. “I’m at the phone box by the bus stop. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be home in about ten minutes if it’s on time. Oh, I can see it; I better go. See you in a few minutes.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose felt the phone slip from her sweaty hand as the call ended. But then sudden realisation hit her. There was no chance that these tablets could have taken complete effect before Olivia got home. She smiled in relief. She would make sure that Olivia knew what Giles had made her do and Olivia would call the police, and then they could both be free of this monster. Everything would be alright; she just knew it would.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span> But Giles had heard Olivia’s words through the receiver, and it seemed that he was following Rose’s train of thought because only seconds later did she feel his hands wrapping themselves around her throat. Panicked, she clawed and scratched at his hands, kicking out at him but he was too strong.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You won’t win, Rose,” he sneered.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>And then everything went black.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>When she awoke, her throat was sore and the ceiling looked strange; unfamiliar.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I think she’s awake,” she heard a fraught voice; a voice she recognised.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Liv?” she tried to speak but found her throat sore.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t talk, Rose,” Olivia came into focus as Rose blinked, and her sister reached out for her hand. “Oh God, Rose, I can’t believe you’re finally awake.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Where am I?” Rose ignored her sister’s words.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Olivia couldn’t meet Rose’s eyes anymore, and that was when Rose saw him. The mask of despair and concern on his face looked so genuine but Rose could see right through it. She wanted to scream; to shout but nothing would come out. Giles put a reassuring hand on Olivia’s shoulder and she sniffed before looking up at her sister again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You’re in Long Grove Hospital, Rose,” Liv whispered sadly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>Rose looked at her sister in horror, shaking her head desperately. She wasn’t insane. She didn’t need to be here.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“Please don’t hate me,” Olivia sobbed. “But you need proper help, Rose; help I don’t know how to give you. I knew you weren’t well again but I didn’t realise how bad you had gotten. The doctor said you took a load of pills before you tried to hang yourself. If Giles hadn’t have gotten home before me, I would have lost you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“No,” Rose whispered. “I didn’t.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“It’s alright, Rose,” Giles put a hand on her arm, biting back a grin when she snatched it away angrily.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“You… you,” was all Rose could get out.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>“I cut you down, Rose,” he sighed. “Livvy walked through the door just as I cut you down. Why didn’t you tell us things had gotten so bad?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <em>
    <span>In reality, Olivia had walked through the door just as Giles had finished tying Rose’s bedsheet into a noose. After she had blacked out, he dragged her upstairs with the sole intention of making it look like she had hung herself. His plan to kill her off had failed miserably and that was when Giles had made a phone call to a friend of his; a friend who just happened to have a lot of influence with the lead psychiatrist in Grove Hospital. Rose might not be dead, but in this place she was as good as. Rose could rot away in here for the rest of her life, and Giles would help Olivia to realise that their good family name would be tarnished if word got out that her sister was in an asylum. Eventually, Olivia would all but forget her sister.</span>
  </em>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“And you believe this?” Reggie was skeptical. “I mean, no offense, Ron, but she could just be absolutely fucking crazy.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“She aint,” Ron shook his head. “I saw the marks that were left on her neck and I know for a fact they weren’t from no bedsheet. Just… Reg, I need you to do this; I need you to help me. She don’t belong in here. She belongs to be outside in the fresh air; she deserves to smile and be happy. She deserves to have her life back. Please Reg. Please.”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“Alright,” Reggie sighed, stubbing out his cigarette. “I’ll see what I can find out, but I aint killing him until I know more, Ron. Just give me a week or two to find out some stuff about this bloke and then we’ll decide what to do from there, yeah?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“Alright,” Ronnie agreed.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“But you know, there’s still one thing I don’t understand, Ronnie. Why do you care about some girl you barely know?”</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>“I don’t know,” Ronnie shrugged.</span>
</p><p class="yiv2223444217ydpef34f662MsoNormal">
  <span>But he was lying. He knew exactly why.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rose stared up at the ceiling, allowing a pitiful trickle of tears to roll down her cheeks. She hated it in here. She wanted to go home; not that she even had a home. She was twenty today. Twenty years old and lying in a rickety cot with a threadbare blanket in a nut house. Today was Sunday, which meant there would be no mail, and she realised with a pang that she hadn’t received a card from Olivia. Her own sister had forgotten her and it hurt. Rose closed her eyes in agony and rolled onto her side. Maybe she actually was crazy? Maybe she deserved to be here; locked up with all the other nutters?</p><p>The door to her cell creaked open, annoying her as usual with its squeaky hinges, and she waited for the smarmy voice of one of the orderlies to alert her that it was time to wake up and take her morning medication. Footsteps shuffled towards her and she felt a hand jostle her shoulder slightly. Turning her head, her eyes met with Ronnie’s and he smirked.</p><p>“So you’re alive then?”</p><p>“Sadly,” Rose sighed, sitting up and moving closer to the wall so that Ronnie could sit on the edge of the bed.</p><p>“Don’t say stupid shit like that,” Ronnie frowned. “Anyway, if you’re dead then you won’t want your birthday present, will you?”</p><p>It was then that Rose realised Ronnie was holding something behind his back, and she found her interest piqued. But she also wondered how Ronnie knew it was her birthday, and when she asked him that very he question he grinned.</p><p>“I make it my business to know everythin’,” he tapped the side of his nose playfully. “Now are you gonna stop wallowin’ and tell me you want your present?”</p><p>“What if I don’t want it?” Rose grinned.</p><p>“Well then I’ll take it back you ungrateful fuckin’ cow,” Ronnie pulled a face of utter disgust, but ended up with his lips twitching as he tried to maintain his appalled façade and failed miserably.</p><p>“Fine,” Rose rolled her eyes. “Please can I have my present?”</p><p>“Hmm, I aint sure you really want it.”</p><p>“Ronald Kray, pretty please may I have my birthday present with cherries and chocolate sprinkles on top?”</p><p>With a wink, Ronnie dropped something onto the bed and Rose hesitated for only a few seconds before delicately undoing the purple tissue paper wrapping to reveal a small wooden chest. Her brow furrowed when she lifted the lid to find all sort of little things inside. She glanced at Ronnie in puzzlement as she lifted out a small ladybird ornament.</p><p>“Listen, Rosie, could you make your face look at least a little bit fuckin’ grateful?” Ronnie pretended to scowl as he took the ornament from her hands. “You’re probably wonderin’ what all of this is and it’s taken me a few weeks to have it all gathered for me seein’ as I’m stuck in this shit hole just like you are, but everythin’ in this box has a meanin’ behind it. The ladybird is because that’s what you remind me of. Ladybirds are beautiful and delicate, and people are always tryin’ to put them in little jars to keep them contained, but as soon as they’re able to, the ladybirds fly away to greener pastures. That cunt of a brother in law of yours has forced you into this place but I’m gonna get you out, and when I do you’re gonna fly away and do amazin’ things with your life. As for these other things…” Ronnie started rummaging through the chest. “…this horseshoe is for when you get out of here and get your own place. My mum says you’ve gotta hang a horseshoe above your front door for prosperity and good luck, and I aint never known my mother to be wrong with it comes to matters of the house and hold. The chocolate and the little bottle of lemonade is for when I take you to the pictures one day in the near future cos I’m rather disgusted you aint never been before; the screwdriver is so that you’ll never need to rely on no man to fix things for you. Although if I’m bein’ honest I hope you phone me and let me help you cos I reckon you’d be dangerous with tools. The gold coin is symbolic, a reminder that as long as you know me, I’ll never let you go without anything; and finally, the notebook is for you to write your first book, cos I remember you tellin’ me that it’s your dream to become an author one day.”</p><p>Rose felt her bottom lip trembling and the items before her began to blur as tears filled her vision. There was nothing extravagant about the gift Ronnie had given her, but she felt richer than anyone in the world possibly could in that moment.</p><p>“Now there aint no need for tears you daft mare.”</p><p>“There is,” Rose sobbed, reaching forward to wrap her arms around Ronnie’s neck.</p><p>Holding her trembling body, Ronnie closed his eyes and breathed in her smell, wondering how she retained a scent so comforting and sweet amongst the clinical odour of this shit hole they were in. She sobbed against him for a few minutes, and he just held her, waiting for her to get whatever it was out of her system. When she finally pulled back to look at him, embarrassment lingered upon her cheeks and with a tut he shook his head and brushed her tears away with the back of his hand.</p><p>“Sorry,” she sniffed, her voice croaky and thick with emotion. “I didn’t mean to cry but I just… well, it’s the first birthday I’ve ever spent without my sister, and I guess my emotions just got the better of me.”</p><p>“Nothin’ new there then,” Ronnie teased playfully, before cupping her face so that he could bring her eyes to his. “There is one more thing, Rose. It’s not a birthday present as such but I hope you’ll be happy about it anyway.”</p><p>“You sound serious, Ron,” she frowned.</p><p>“That’s cos this is serious. It’s about that cunt of a brother in law of yours.”</p><p>“Giles? What about him?”</p><p>“I’m gonna help you and your sister get rid of him. Well, Reggie’s gonna help me cos I’m stuck in here with you; not that you aint lovely to spend every day with, but you know what I mean. Anyway, we’re gonna sort him out for you.”</p><p>“Are you going to kill him?” Rose realised she that the thought of such a thing felt good, and she wanted to feel ashamed of herself but she didn’t.</p><p>“If that’s what it takes to make sure he can never hurt you ever again then yeah,” Ronnie answered without hesitation.</p><p>“Why would you do that for me?” Rose whispered, swallowing down the lump in her throat.</p><p>“I’d do anythin’ for you,” Ronnie murmured, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip. “I don’t know how it happened, Rose Squires, but I think you’ve bewitched me somehow with your innocence. There aint much in my life that’s innocent and everythin’ that is doesn’t stay that way. I don’t want that to happen to you. I don’t want <em>this</em>, being here and dealing with what that bastard did, make you lose that pureness that’s still inside of you. Maybe it’s selfish of me to say, but I need that pureness. I need <em>you.</em>”</p><p>Something crackled, and if Rose had been reading one of her romance books, she was certain the author would have described it as a frisson of static electricity or perhaps an invisible pull. And that’s exactly what it felt like. There was just something between her and Ronnie that felt different. It felt like a build up of the past few weeks yet at the same time something completely new and unexpected. Her eyes flickered upwards to meet Ronnie’s which were darkening with lust, and when his lips pressed against hers with such gentleness, she almost cried again.</p><p>Ronnie’s hand threaded through Rose’s long hair, which was still tatty from sleep, and when he licked at her lips, she opened her mouth and groaned at the feeling of his tongue against her own. Ronnie had only ever kissed one girl before. He’d fucked a few more, but never kissed them. He never kissed any of the blokes he had been with either because kisses were more than just a physical release. Kisses actually meant something. But he was kissing Rose now because she meant something and that something had been playing on his mind for the past few weeks. Sometimes the thudding of his heart or the whirring in his stomach when he saw her, or when he made her smile, unnerved him because he had always sworn never to let himself develop feelings for another human. It was just a complication he didn’t need or want. But he was unable to stop himself with Rose. He wanted to explore the feelings he had for her. He wanted to be with her.</p><p>A noise from outside in the hallway startled them, causing them to both pull apart as though burned. Rose’s cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen from his kisses. With something close to a smile, at least for Ronnie Kray anyway, he took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth sweetly.</p><p>“Happy birthday my Rosie Posie.”</p>
  </div></div>
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